Chartering in Croatia with Nautilus Yachting ant views?

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ultrarep

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Hi all, we are thinking of leaving our S43 at home and chartering in Croatia, and have found Nautilus Yachting who seem reasonable for a Targa 38.
Does anyone have any experience of chartering with them? Or even just doing the same in Croatia?

Any views thoughts and recomendations and experiences would be welcome

Many thanks
 
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Friends have chartered happily in Croatia, both sail and mobo. I have no idea who they used, but were all very happy with the experience. I will be chartering with Sunsail in Croatia this summer. Can't wait!!!!
 
We based our boat in a marina between Trogir and Sibenik for 4 yrs. I have no knowledge of Nautilus myself but what I would say is that it is a fabulous cruising area. What time of year are you planning to charter? If you do go ahead I can give you some recommendations on places to visit
 
ultrarep said:
Thinking late June to mid July ish or maybe september
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Perfect as obviously this avoids the peak season. We found mid July to be the hottest time of year and you will definitely need aircon. A generator is also almost a must not only for days/nights at anchor but because the shorepower supply in many marinas can be dodgy. Dont leave it too late in Sept because at some point in Oct the weather will quickly change from summer to autumn often accompanied by rain and wind. Also be aware that the one big weather event in the Adriatic is the NE Bora wind which can blow up at any time of year but is more likely towards the end of the season rather than the beginning. It is also stronger the further north you go. The Bora is well forecast but when it is forecast you better make sure youre tied up to something solid and be prepared to be tied up for 2-3 days as it blows through. You'd be very unlucky to experience the Bora between June and Sept but it does happen. Otherwise the wind will be no more than a F3-4 max F5 every day. As I say its a lovely cruising area and if you do go I can recommend some destinations depending on where the charter location is
 
Thanks for that mike great info! Once we get our act together and figure it out I will ask for those recomendations although trogir is the location with the T38 which I think would be our pref boat
 
ultrarep said:
Thanks for that mike great info! Once we get our act together and figure it out I will ask for those recomendations although trogir is the location with the T38 which I think would be our pref boat
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My first post after a long time stalking the Forum so time to contribute my tuppence worth!

I have chartered in Croatia for several years (Sealine S42) and loved it. We operated out of Seget which is right beside Trogir and while Seget is just a marina Trogir has the benefit of being a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lovely place.

I have no experience of Nautilus but all the reputable charter companies will follow similar procedures. The usual certification (RYA Day Skipper as a minimum with ICC and VHF), large damage deposit and rigorous about post-inspection of the boat. So, like a rental car, take lots of photos before you take it out of the berth – these boats will show wear and tear especially the older ones.

As for the Dalmatian region, magnificent cruising around the islands. We always go out in May / early June thus avoiding the summer hordes. September is good too and the charter rates double in July and August. Allegedly, the Italians all pour across the Adriatic in high summer and the marinas are packed meaning that booking ahead is mandatory. We never once have had a problem getting a berth as long as we were in before the yacht flotillas ie around 16h00.

As for the dreaded Bora it is not an issue further south in summer. Frequent weather updates are radioed by the Coastguard in English but almost always any warnings were in the north. Other than the odd squall, we have never had bad weather.

The marinas themselves are generally of a high standard and around €50 to €60 a night unless you want to berth alongside the quay in Hvar. (You can use kuna but everyone accepts euros). The smaller ones can be very tight, Korcula for example.

Fantastic country. Fantastic cruising. Enjoy!

David
 
Many thanks for that David. Would you be able to advise who the S42 was with as I would like to rent an almost identical boat to our S43 if its available. Also can you advise what cost you would expect for a week or two? Send a pm by all means if you wish to keep that private

Thanks for the kind advice its really helpful
 
Deleted User said:
The Bora is well forecast but when it is forecast you better make sure youre tied up to something solid and be prepared to be tied up for 2-3 days as it blows through. You'd be very unlucky to experience the Bora between June and Sept but it does happen.
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My experience of cruising the HR coast is pretty old by now, but rather extensive.
And fwiw, I can second everything Deleted User said, but with one caveat:
At times, Bora have the nasty habit of turning flat seas into F7+ in no time, completely out of nowhere and totally unpredicted.
It is pretty rare - in fact, I'm not disagreeing with Deleted User when he says that Bora is well predicted.
I'm just pointing out that there are exceptions, and they can catch you with your pants down.
Even literally: I'll never forget a night at anchor in the SE tip of Cres, when in the early morning we passed from sleeping like babies to our most scary anchor recover ever, in a matter of minutes.
Long story short, since then I stopped considering any non-NE sheltered anchorages, regardless of forecasts.
Luckily, this ain't a big restrictions, because very well sheltered anchorages are all over the place, along that coast! :)
 
ultrarep said:
Many thanks for that David. Would you be able to advise who the S42 was with as I would like to rent an almost identical boat to our S43 if its available. Also can you advise what cost you would expect for a week or two? Send a pm by all means if you wish to keep that private

Thanks for the kind advice its really helpful
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Hi Steve,

The S42 we chartered is no longer available - it is in fact for sale. It was old (1,500 hours +) and basic with no aircon and without the passerelle option but otherwise excellent - as you know vast amounts of space.

As for costs this is very dependent on the time of year. Charter rates more than double in July and August as does everything else and the marinas can get very crowded - we go in May and early June. Charter costs vary enormously too even off-season by location, type, size and age of boat along with what the owner thinks they can get for it. If you are not fussed on this the you can find relatively good prices - we want a cruiser, sterndrives and 10 to 12m in mid to south Croatia ie Zadar to Dubrovnik. When it was available our S42 was around €3,200 for the week off-season plus the usual extras for cleaning etc. Marinas vary around the €50 a night mark all-inclusive (off-season) ie including power, water, wifi and facilities unless you go into somewhere very popular like Hvar town. Fuel is obviously the biggest additional cost - about €1.1 / litre (the KN / € is a fixed rate) with fueling stations easy to find.

I hope this helps.

David
 
Superb many thanks for that David. Out of main season would suit is best and like you 10-12m on drives would be just fine.
Am talking to Nautilus so will see what they can come up with. Our S43 has genny and aircon to all cabins so we are spoilt a bit but going there for warmth and a fresh and beautiful cruising ground with some gistory thrown in, so aircon is not too desperate!

Many many thanks
 
ultrarep said:
Superb many thanks for that David. Out of main season would suit is best and like you 10-12m on drives would be just fine.
Am talking to Nautilus so will see what they can come up with. Our S43 has genny and aircon to all cabins so we are spoilt a bit but going there for warmth and a fresh and beautiful cruising ground with some gistory thrown in, so aircon is not too desperate!

Many many thanks
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We did not miss the aircon in May and early June - it would only be required in these waters in high summer so no worries there.
 
Mariscalcus said:
We did not miss the aircon in May and early June - it would only be required in these waters in high summer so no worries there.
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Mmm, depends if youre a cold blooded Brit who is not used to the heat! We were certainly using our aircon in June and by July it was often so scorchio that I think I would have gone home had I not had it;)
 
We chartered with Nautilus in Croatia and in Turkey. They were fairly good. We have also used Helm, who are also very good.
 
Deleted User said:
Mmm, depends if youre a cold blooded Brit who is not used to the heat! We were certainly using our aircon in June and by July it was often so scorchio that I think I would have gone home had I not had it;)
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As a long time raggie in the area we have never really felt the need for aircon in an anchorage (but the boat is shaped so that wind can blow from bow to stern in and out of cabins) but there were times in a marina when it would have been much more restful. Obviously the noise of someone else's generator is a big no-no to a raggie as all our windows are open so we get the benefit of a generator designed to be nearly silent to the boat it's on, not its downwind neighbours but frankly what used to annoy me doesn't anymore as you eventually realise how lovely it is for all of us to be sharing that coast.

I'm not even sure the other bugbears like anchoring too close or loud music affect me at all anymore - must be mellowing.
 
RupertW said:
As a long time raggie in the area we have never really felt the need for aircon in an anchorage (but the boat is shaped so that wind can blow from bow to stern in and out of cabins)
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Motorboats are definitely not shaped like that and generally have 2 big lumps of iron under the floorboards emanating copious amounts of heat for hours after you switch them off;)
 
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